Wyoming: Teton v. Trumpism
While voters are fairly united behind Republicans, the state party is as divided as ever.
Topline Takeaways
Donald Trump won by a landslide in Wyoming, winning by a wide margin of 43 points.
Joe Biden succeeded in flipping Albany county marking the first time the county voted for a Democrat since 2008.
Despite consistent statewide wins, the Wyoming Republican party is experiencing fierce intra-party disputes between “big tent” Republicans that aim to grow the party and far-right loyalists that are increasingly obsessed with censuring anyone who challenges party leadership.
In-Depth Insights
Despite only scoring 26% of the statewide vote, Pres. Joe Biden’s performance in Wyoming defied expectations as he built on Hillary Clinton’s campaign by 5 points and flipped Albany county. Jackson and its surrounding areas in Teton county have been known as a blue island in a sea of red for much of the past two decades. Democrats have an especially hard time winning local races elsewhere in the state and have consolidated their resources in Jackson. What’s most surprising is that Jackson has a relatively small population, less than 10,000 residents, and only ranks as the tenth most-populous city in the state. Since Democrats have essentially given up in most other areas, Republicans have dominated Wyoming for decades.
Republicans have dominated nearly all aspects of Wyoming government. The only Democrat to win a statewide election since the 1990s was former Gov. Dave Freudenthal, who won two gubernatorial races in 2002 and 2006. This is largely because the national Republican party has been incredibly well aligned with Wyoming’s interests as the state is overwhelmingly White (only 8 other states have a higher percentage of White residents) and is dependent on fossil fuels to support its energy industry.
Forecasting the Future: Despite consistent statewide wins, the Wyoming Republican party is anything but united. Rep. Liz Cheney’s defiance against Donald Trump signifies similar trends happening in the state party as “big tent” establishment Republicans are fighting against Trump loyalists seeking to keep the party as conservative as possible.
In March 2021, Lincoln County Republican leadership censured one of their own party members, Evan Simpson, for not voting conservatively enough. State Committeeman Mike Lungren explains:
“There were people in our party who weren’t happy with his record. They tried to call him and talk to him about it, that they would like him to vote more in line with the party platform. [The censure] was a way of saying ‘we don’t like what you’re doing right now.”
Elsewhere in the state, the party’s statewide comptroller Scott Dickerson announced that he would be stepping down and stated in his resignation letter that many in the party didn’t believe he was “Republican enough.” While party loyalists have been effective in marginalizing and ousting other party members, not all Republican moderates are taking the challenges quietly. State Rep Landon Brown, a Cheyenne Republican, expresses his concerns:
What’s most fascinating (and at times confusing) is how party loyalists perceive voters’ sentiments within the state. While it’s true that Wyoming voters have strongly supported Donald Trump in both elections, residents of the “Equality State” (yes, that’s actually Wyoming’s official nickname) aren’t swayed by the larger culture war the national GOP is waging. Political historians note that Wyoming has been much more libertarian than conservative, embracing a laissez-faire attitude that fiercely rejects big government. Typically conservative issues like pro-life stances on abortion are not as popular and legislation with a social agenda rarely passes in the state Legislature. Opposition to same-sex marriage is another avenue that exposes Republicans’ weakness among the state’s younger voters. Kyle Gamroth, a young city councilman from Casper, explains his hesitancy about the state party’s direction:
What’s unfortunate is that these Republican defectors are not switching parties and are simply retreating from politics altogether. As a result, far-right loyalists are slowly consolidating power in the state as voters are left with few alternatives. Republicans seem to be abusing their near dominance in the state, embarking down a path that sits increasingly at odds with voters’ attitudes. Democrats still have little chance of winning statewide but opportunities are increasing for a moderate candidate from either party to emerge and recapture an electorate that simply wants government to stay in Washington, not in their backyards.
“I definitely don’t care about passing laws to prevent gays from adopting. I don’t want my legislature to do that. These are just my beliefs.”
-Marlayna Walker, a Wyoming voter